Island



(No Model.)

B. GLOVE-R.

BOOK HOLDER.

Patented Apr. 20, 1897.

NITE STATES AT FIQEQ ELIOT GLOVER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BERENICE M. ALLEN, OF WVOONSOOKET, RHODE ISLAND.

BOOK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,225, dated April 20, 1897.

Application filed August 19, 1895. Serial No. 559,783. (No model.) i

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIOT GLOVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Sudolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Book Holders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This improvement is designed to provide a book-holder that can be cheaply made, is convenient in use, and not likely to break or get out of order.

To these ends the invention consists in the peculiar construction hereinafter more particularly described, and then definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a book --holder constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view, on a smaller scale, showing the book-holder hung against a wall.

Referring to the details of the drawings by numerals, 1 represents the book-holder proper, preferably formed of a light board having a recess 2 at the top and a rest 3 at or near the bottom, which rest has a number of holes 4, into which passes thelower end of a rod 5, having the arms 6 6 attached thereto, and a ratchet-catch 7 is firmly secured at the top of the rod 5.

At the back is a wire support 8, having two legs, and is slidingly secured to the board by staples 9. Bymoving this support up or down in the staples the inclination of the bookholder may be varied. In order that the support may not slip, the cross-bar 10, connecting the two legs of the support, (see Fig. 1,) is provided with a friction-strip of rubber, felt, or some similar substance (indicated at 11 in Figs. 1 and 2) to create friction sufficient to prevent the accidental slipping of the support.

When in use, the book-holder is intended to be set on a table, desk, &c., and a book placed on it open at the part to be read, and then the lower part of the rod 5 is set in one of the holes 4, and the ratchetcatch 7 is passed over the top of the board and pressed down so as to catch in the recess 2. The arms 6 6 will then keep the book open at the desired place as long as required for reading or copying, when by raising the rod 5 and its attachments the next page may be brought into view or the book removed, as desired.

By having a number of holes 4: and the ratchet-catch 7 books of any size from the thinnest pamphlet to the thickestbound volume may be securely held and conveniently read, while the hands are left at liberty to use a pen or operate a type-writer.

In some cases instead of placing the holder on a table or desk it may be set against a wall by passing the legs of the support into eyes 12, screwed into or otherwise secured to a wall, as indicated in Fig. 2.

It is obvious that instead of the board 1 a light frame may be employed, but I prefer the former as cheaper and stronger. It is also obvious that the recess 2 may be dispensed with by making the board 1 thinner or the teeth in the ratchet-catch 7 coarser.

The arms 6 6 maybe firmly attached to the rod 5, but I prefer to have the upper one, 6, if not both, held on simply by friction, as it is necessary that it shall be capable of being raised and lowered to suit different sized books.

The use of the two arms 6 6 in place of one, as usually employed, has the advantage of firmly holding the pages at both top and bottom, leaving the printed matter entirely clear. A single arm will not answer the purpose, for if arranged at either the top or the bottom the other end of the leaves of a book will tend to close up, and if arranged to cross the center of the book a part of the reading-matter will be hidden by the arm. For this reason also it is especially desirable that the upper arm should be adjustable to accommodate various sizes of books.

I do not intend to limit myself to the exact construction shown, as parts of my invention may be used without other parts, as, for instance, the' rod, arms, and catch, without the sliding support or the latter without the former.

What I claim as new is 1. The combination in a book-holder, of the board 1, the rest 3 attached thereto and having holes 4, the rod 5 having arms 6 6, the

ratchet-catch 7 firmly secured to the rod, the staples 9 set in the back of the board, the wire support 8 sliding in said staples, and the frietion-strip 11, all substantially as described and shown.

2. The combination in a book-holder, of the rod 5, having two arms 6 6, the upper one of which is adjustable, and means substantially as described for holding said rod and arms at different positions to suit different-sized 10 books, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses, this 9th day of August, 1895.

ELIOT GLOVER. Vitnesses:

GEORGE F. DYER, HERBERT II. DYER. 

